Abstract [en]

Noise mitigation reduces the audibility of a noise source at the location of the receiver, making the source less annoying and less likely to interfere with activities, such as sleep, rest, and speech. Many mitigation methods change temporal and spectral properties of noise, which may influence perceived annoyance, over and above the effect related to the overall reduction in A-weighted sound pressure level. Noise reduction also may increase the noticeability of other sources, which may influence the perception of the overall acoustic environment. Finally, well-designed noise mitigation solutions may improve the visual environment, e.g., a vegetated noise barrier or earth berm can visually shield the traffic and increase the amount of visible greenery. This chapter provides examples of such perceptual effects of noise mitigation, from effects on perception of the noise itself, via effects on the soundscape, to potential effects on the overall audio-visual environment.